Concrete sensor tech startup lands $3M investment
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West Lafayette-based startup WaveLogix has secured $3 million in Series A funding from Cambridge, Massachusetts-based venture capital firm Rhapsody Venture Partners.
The company has developed concrete sensor technology to measure strength levels in real time and signal when the pavement is strong enough for traffic.
The WaveLogix REBEL Concrete Strength Sensor was developed at Purdue University by Luna Lu, a professor of civil engineering who also serves as the company’s CEO.
“Rhapsody’s investment in Wavelogix shows that our sensors bring immense value to the industry,” Lu said in a news release. “Their funding will allow us to scale manufacturing and enable nationwide deployment of the technology.”
The technology uses sensors embedded into a fresh concrete pour. The goal is to use the measurements to expedite the construction of highways, bridges, airport runways and buildings and reduce the frequency of concrete repairs.
Jason Whaley, general partner at Rhapsody Venture Partners, said the company’s technology is transformative for concrete construction.
“Short-term, their solution will allow accelerated project timelines and eliminate costly quality control errors,’ he said. “Beyond this, Wavelogix will enable data-driven decision making and optimization of concrete mix designs, which will reduce carbon footprints, eliminate waste, and lead to more durable structures.”
Last month, the technology was named a gold winner of the Edison Award in the Critical Human Infrastructure category. The sensor system was also named among TIME’s Best Inventions of 2023 and Fast Company magazine’s Next Big Things in Tech for 2022.